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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Transport

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to promote research into carbon-neutral aviation technology. [182132]

Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport is active in the international working group developing a certification standard for CO2 emissions from aircraft, it funds analytical research, working closely with Rolls Royce and Airbus, and also works with the Sustainable Aviation initiative, a consortium of aviation industry partners. I particularly welcome their current work to develop a ‘roadmap’ on how biofuels can be more widely deployed in the sector.

In addition to the steps above, my colleague the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has launched the government's Industrial Strategy. In the Aerospace Industrial Strategy the Government and industry are jointly investing £2 billion over seven years in aerospace research and development. An Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) will be established to develop new technology and capability for the UK aerospace industry. It is likely to support many projects to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Previous research supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Technology Strategy Board—such as the Environmentally Friendly Engine programme, the SILOET programme with Rolls Royce, and the Next Generation Carbon Wing project with Airbus UK—has already led to more fuel efficient aircraft and a real reduction in carbon emissions.

Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date; [182169]

(2) if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to projects located within (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date. [182170]

Stephen Hammond: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's Country and Regional Analysis 2013.

Identifiable expenditure on transport in the south-east region for the last three years is reproduced in the following table. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.

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Bus Services: Disability

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will amend the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 to include audio visual announcements. [182559]

Stephen Hammond: We currently have no plans to make audio visual systems mandatory as the business case for bus operators has not been demonstrated and the Government are unwilling to impose financial burdens of this kind on the industry in the current financial climate.

However, my hon. Friend, the Minister of State will write to bus industry representatives shortly to encourage further development of more affordable audio-visual systems for buses.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will create a fund specifically for audio visual technology on buses. [182560]

Stephen Hammond: We recognise that many people find audio and visual announcements useful for travelling and understand the social benefits of having such systems on buses.

Our recent Accessibility Action plan progress report, published on 23 December 2013, included cost details for various audio/visual technical options and we will continue to work with bus industry stakeholders to identify the best solutions to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.

However, at this time there are no plans to introduce a specific fund to support the adaptation of buses.

Bus Services: Visual Impairment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the accessibility of buses for blind and partially sighted people. [182549]

Stephen Hammond: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) outline specific requirements for the bus industry to ensure that buses are as accessible as possible for disabled passengers. These include facilities such as low-floor boarding systems, visual contrast on step edges, handholds and handrails and priority seats that can be of particular benefit to blind and partially sighted passengers.

All new buses used on local or scheduled services to carry 22 passengers or more are required to be fully PSVAR compliant, and all buses will have to be compliant by 2015, 2016 and 2017, depending on the bus type.

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According to the Department's annual bus statistics (published in September 2013) 78% of the total bus fleet in England is now PSVAR compliant. We will continue to monitor compliance with the industry.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure the design of the proposed HS2 route within the designated landscape of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty meets all requirements under section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and if he will make a statement. [182066]

Mr Goodwill: As set out in the response to the 2011 consultation, ‘High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future—Decisions and Next Steps’ the Government consider that HS2 is consistent with section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the Christmas period on the ability of those affected to respond to the High Speed 2 Environmental Statement Consultation. [182617]

Mr Goodwill: The three days of public holiday over the Christmas and new year period are not considered to adversely affect the ability of people to respond to the ES consultation. In total there are 60 days in which to respond to the consultation.

The ES is designed to be easily accessible which is why it includes a non-technical summary and the area reports and map books in volume 2 are split up into 26 Community Forum Areas (CFAs) so people can easily find the information relevant to their local area. There is no need to read the whole ES in order to make a considered response. The vast majority of individuals responding to the consultation will be interested in the effects on their local area. The relevant CFA and maps, some 300 pages, would provide this information.

In addition, much of the information is already familiar to people having been contained in the draft ES, which was the subject of an eight-week consultation in 2013, to which 20,000 people responded.

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what method those wishing to petition the High Speed 2 hybrid Bill must raise points in response to the environmental statement consultation. [182618]

Mr Goodwill: Responding to the consultation on the environmental statement and petitioning the hybrid Bill are distinct and unconnected. There is no requirement for those wishing to petition the hybrid Bill to respond to the environmental statement consultation. Those wishing to raise points in response to the consultation can do so by filling in the response form available on the following website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement

and e-mailing it to:

HS2PhaseOneBillES@dialoguebydesign.com

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or writing to:

FREEPOST RTEC-AJUT-GGHH

HS2 Phase One Bill Environmental Statement

PO Box 70178

London

WC1A 9HS

The rules and format for petitioning the hybrid Bill are set by Parliament. Petitions will not be accepted until the Bill has passed Second Reading, at which time a petitioning period will be set. Guidance on how to petition the Bill is available from Parliament’s website at:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Commons-hybrid-Bill-Petitioning-Kit-2013-14.doc

and a leaflet produced by Parliament has been distributed by HS2 Ltd to landowners along the proposed route of phase 1.

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that those affected by High Speed 2 have enough information to respond to the environmental statement consultation. [182619]

Mr Goodwill: Every effort has been made to ensure that the environmental statement (ES) is accessible to interested parties. That is why the ES includes a non-technical summary and the area reports and map books in volume 2 are split up into 26 community forum areas (CFAs) so people can easily find the information relevant to their local area. The document is also fully searchable.

A guide outlining the structure of the environmental statement is available which should help people identify which sections of the ES to read. It can be found on the HS2 Ltd and gov.uk website at the following link:

http://assets.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/Understanding%20the%20Environmental%20Statement%20web.pdf

In addition to ensuring that the documents are appropriately structured for easy navigation, every effort has also been made to ensure that the ES is available to interested parties. That is why, as well as being available online, the ES documents are also publically accessible at 31 local authority locations, 80 parish councils and 56 public libraries across the line of route for phase 1. Information about these locations is available on the HS2 Ltd website at the following link:

http://www.hs2.org.uk/hs2-phase-one-hybrid-bill/hybrid-bill?cfa_dropdown=826

Members of the public are also entitled to one free hard copy of both the non-technical summary and volume 1 of the ES as well as a copy of one CFA report and map book. Those who wish to receive hard copies of any of the other documents that comprise the ES can order them from the HS2 Ltd website for a small fee.

If any further questions on the ES arise, individuals can contact the HS2 Ltd public inquiries line on:

HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

020 7944 4908

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the information contained in the High Speed 2 Environmental Statement; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the amount of information within the Environmental Statement Consultation on those wishing to respond. [182620]

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Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd compiled the Environmental Statement (ES) for 18 months since the announcement of the route was made in February 2012. During this time, the information contained within it was peer reviewed by experts in their field to ensure it is of the highest quality. Whilst the ES contains much information, the amount of consultation that has taken place on the scheme has been extensive, as such those affected are in an informed position already. Furthermore, the ES is broken down into community forum areas to ensure that it is more readily accessible to people with an interest.

Motorways

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether a trial of the new managed motorway all lanes running design standard will be conducted before implementation of these schemes. [182724]

Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency is not undertaking a trial of the new all lane running design prior to the first scheme opening on the M25 in spring 2014.

The Agency will monitor the operation of the scheme and has agreed procedures to effectively manage this section of the network.

Smart motorways (formerly managed motorways) all lane running is a development of dynamic hard shoulder running which the Highways Agency has operated since 2006.

When the first smart motorway scheme was introduced on the M42 J3a-7 in 2006 as a pilot scheme (known then as active traffic management - ATM), the Highways Agency undertook an extensive programme of performance monitoring.

Using knowledge and expertise from seven years of smart motorways operation, the Highways Agency will monitor and evaluate the performance of the M25 scheme in a similar manner to the M42 pilot.

Rapid Transit Systems: Tees Valley

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what his Department's policy is on a Tees Valley light rail system; and if he will make a statement; [182439]

(2) what feasibility studies have been carried out by (a) his Department and (b) contractors on (i) funding models for a Tees Valley light rail system and (ii) the technical and operational possibility of linking the existing Tyne and Wear Metro system with a future Tees Valley light rail system; and if he will make a statement. [182441]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport recognises that light rail is popular with passengers, good for economic growth and good for reducing carbon, both key objectives of the coalition Government. Government funding for these types of schemes will, from 2015, be part of the Local Growth Fund and devolved to local enterprise partnerships.

The Government do not provide direct support to promoters for development work on light rail systems. It would be for the relevant authority to undertake any feasibility studies at its own cost The Department published

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a report in September 2011 on light rail with the aim of helping to make this mode more cost-effective in the future. The report is available on the Department's website.

Transport: Birmingham

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to discuss a contingency on awarding building contracts to Chinese companies in discussions on Chinese financing of a transport link in Birmingham. [182561]

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to discuss financing or building contracts of a transport link in Birmingham with Chinese companies.

Home Department

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by (a) Avon and Somerset Police and (b) Gloucestershire Police on policing the trial badger cull in 2013. [182471]

Damian Green: The Department has not yet received final costs from the relevant police forces. However, Avon and Somerset Constabulary estimate that their costs for the original six-week cull are likely to be in the region of £500,000.

Gloucestershire Police estimate that their costs for the original six-week cull and the eight-week extension are likely to be in the region of £1.7 million.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has agreed to cover any additional costs incurred by the relevant police forces.

Domestic Violence: Homicide

Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many homicide reviews have been carried out in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and in how many such cases was there evidence of domestic abuse or violence prior to such a homicide; [181633]

(2) what guidance has been given to police and crime commissioners on the priority that should be given to crimes involving domestic abuse or violence. [181634]

Norman Baker [holding answer 9 January 2014]: Since the introduction of Domestic Homicide Reviews in April 2011 we have had 169 notifications (75 notifications in the financial year 2011-12, and 94 notifications in the financial year 2012-13) that a review is being conducted.

We do not centrally collate the information requested on how many of those cases showed evidence of prior domestic abuse in the relationship as it is difficult to isolate individual factors from the complex range of circumstances that precede a domestic homicide.

However, according to the 2010/11 Crime Survey for England and Wales, 30% of the victims of partner abuse were victimised more than once in the last year (22% were victimised three or more times). However, as around a half (51%) of victims either chose not to answer this question or did not know how many times they had been victimised, this should be treated with caution.

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The coalition Government's approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse is set out in its Violence against Women and Girls Action Plan 2013. The Government recognise that domestic violence and abuse is not a problem that can be resolved with national action alone but one which requires concerted, joined-up working at a local level. That is why in August 2013, the Home Office published an information pack for Police and Crime Commissioners outlining the importance of tackling domestic violence and abuse, how to understand these issues better, and to prevent further violence.

The Home Office also held an event for Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2013 to discuss the challenges involved in tackling sexual and domestic violence and how to galvanise an effective local response.

G4S

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the performance of G4S in delivering monitoring services of people subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigatory Measures order. [182260]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 January 2014]:Electronic monitoring of Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIM) subjects is provided through the Ministry of Justice's contract with G4S. While we cannot comment on the contract as a whole, the Home Office has seen no evidence that G4S has not been performing to agreed standards with respect to the electronic monitoring of TPIM subjects.

Immigration Controls: Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she anticipates that agreement will be reached between her Department, Eurostar and the authorities in Belgium and France to resolve border control problems that have arisen as a result of intra- and extra-Schengen ticket abuse. [182078]

Mr Harper: On 18 November, with the agreement of the authorities in the UK, France and Belgium, Eurostar introduced a system of designated carriages for international and intra-Schengen passengers with separated boarding and disembarkation as a secure, long-term measure to manage the problem of intra-Schengen ticket abuse.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government is taking to promote public confidence in the Independent Police Complaints Commission; and if she will make a statement. [181688]

Damian Green: The Government is promoting confidence in the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) by strengthening its powers and giving it further resources.

New powers for the IPCC are contained in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. In 2014-15, the Government are providing £18 million from the police settlement to increase the IPCC's ability to deal with all serious and sensitive cases involving the police.

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Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations conducted by the Independent Police Complaints Commission have resulted in criminal prosecutions in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these prosecutions resulted in convictions. [181689]

Damian Green: This information is not held by the Home Office. The Independent Police Complaints Commission will write to the hon. Member and I will place a copy of the letter in the House Library.

Intelligence Services

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on permitting foreign intelligence agencies to unminimise UK citizens' communications data. [182728]

James Brokenshire: As has been the practice of successive Governments, we do not comment on intelligence matters. However, UK intelligence activities are carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Police

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on police (a) workloads and (b) morale and wellbeing of recent reductions in police numbers; and if she will make a statement. [182136]

Damian Green: No such estimate has been made. This Government inherited the toughest fiscal challenge in living memory and we are having to take difficult decisions across the public sector including on police funding.

Police reform is working—forces are prioritising frontline delivery, crime continues to fall and victim satisfaction is up.

The Government are focused on the difference that police make, not how many of them there are. Forces are rising to the challenge of transforming the way policing is delivered to ensure that the quality of service provided to the public is maintained or improved.

Police: Emergency Calls

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department collects on response times to 999 emergency calls in each police force area in England; and what the response times in (a) Cleveland Police and (b) Hartlepool Basic Command unit area were in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011, (iv) 2012 and (v) 2013. [182050]

Damian Green: The Home Office collects data on the number of 999 calls received and the number of 999 calls answered within local target times but not on the response times to 999 emergency calls.

Up until 2010-11, the Home Office also collected data on local target times for answering 999 calls but again not on the actual response times.

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Police: Stress

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of exhaustion and stress-related illnesses experienced by police officers in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement. [182137]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not collect data centrally on the nature of police officer sickness.

Procurement

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what weighting her Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance. [182641]

James Brokenshire: The Home Department's procurement procedures require every procurement activity to have a fair and transparent procurement strategy that sets out the procurement criteria to be used. The procurement criteria must be set out in an evaluation matrix which should include weightings for scores where necessary. Every element of the procurement criteria, including any weighting, if appropriate, must be justifiable by the specific characteristics of the particular procurement activity and be defensible in the event of a legal challenge.

Consequently, the extent to which Home Office can take into account factors such as the location of a company and its work force, a company's strong environmental records, whether the company is a social enterprise and the company's prior performance history will depend on the particular circumstances of individual procurement activity.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what value of contracts procured by her Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds. [182658]

James Brokenshire: Information on how many and the value of contracts procured by the Home Department in the last five years that was carried out below the EU thresholds is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Stop and Search: Ethnic Groups

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures she is taking to address concerns in the African/Caribbean community about the use of stop and search; and if she will make a statement. [181690]

Damian Green: When stop and search powers are used effectively and fairly, they are a vital tool for the police in the fight against crime. The Government launched a public consultation in the summer of 2013 to seek the views of the public on various themes, including the fair use of the powers. The consultation closed in September and the Government are analysing the many responses to the consultation and will publish its conclusions in due course.

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Attorney-General

Crimes of Violence: Females

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meeting of 26 September 2013 between the former Director of Public Prosecutions and representatives of the Home Office regarding the decline in referrals for prosecution of cases of violence against women and girls. [182183]

The Solicitor-General: Violence against women and girls is a key priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and, in 2012-13, the conviction rates for cases flagged as rape and domestic violence were at record highs for the second year running.

On 26 September 2013, the CPS held detailed discussions with a number of interested parties including the Home Office, the National Policing Leads for domestic violence and rape, the Attorney-General’s Office and Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary to better understand the falls in referrals of rape and domestic violence cases from the police to the CPS.

A note of the meeting will be placed in the Library. A final set of actions from the meeting were announced by the Solicitor-General as a six-point action plan in response to a written question from the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry), on 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 141W.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much of the (a) £14 million underspend identified in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) annual report 2012-13 and (b) £12 million underspend identified in the CPS annual report 2011-12 was carried forward. [182364]

The Solicitor-General: There is no scope for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to carry forward the underspends against its vote reported in its annual accounts. However, under budget exchange, the CPS may reduce its vote by taking a supplementary estimate in advance of the financial year end. Where a Department uses budget exchange, it receives a corresponding budgetary increase in the following year.

In 2011-12, the CPS surrendered £2 million under budget exchange, in return for an increase in budget in 2012-13 of £2 million. In 2012-13, the CPS surrendered £14 million in return for an increase in budget of £12 million. The CPS follows Treasury guidance in maintaining budget carry forwards within prudent limits, and recognises that Departments are under no obligation to surrender their entire forecast underspend.

The CPS aims to spend the right amount of money each year that is needed to fulfil its statutory functions. To achieve this, the CPS maintains an effective system of financial control and closely monitors expenditure against its internal budgets and its overall vote.

Electronic Tagging

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will seek assurances from the Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) that the time that has elapsed since

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Ministers requested that the SFO investigate G4S and Serco over tagging overcharges has not resulted in the loss of important evidence. [182365]

The Solicitor-General: The Director of the SFO opened a criminal investigation into G4S and Serco electronic monitoring contracts in autumn 2013. SFO cases are by their nature complex, lengthy and resource intensive. It would not be appropriate to comment further on a current investigation.

Freezing Orders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many asset restraining orders the Crown Prosecution Service has applied for in each of the last five years. [182079]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the number of restraint orders applied for in the last five financial years.

Legal Profession: Industrial Action

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many Crown Prosecution Service prosecutions were delayed due to the 6 January 2014 walk out by solicitors and barristers. [182080]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) did not maintain central detailed records of the impact of the non-attendance of solicitors and self-employed barristers on each case listed in magistrates courts and the Crown court on the morning of 6 January.

The action of solicitors and barristers not to attend court on the morning of 6 January caused some trials and interlocutory hearings listed in the morning to be delayed until the afternoon. The action caused delay of about two and half hours to the commencement of trials listed in the morning, where the start was delayed until the afternoon. The delay to interlocutory hearings listed on the morning of 6 January would have had no material impact on the overall progress of those prosecutions.

Taxation: Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General for each of the past three calendar years, how many confiscation orders imposed in relation to CPS tax fraud prosecutions were for (a) £0-£1,000, (b) £1,001-£5,000, (c) £5,001-£10,000, (d) £10,001-£20,000, (e) £20,001-£50,000, (f) £50,001-£100,000, (g) £100,001-£500,000, (h) £500,001-£1 million, (i) £1 million-£5 million and (j) more than £5 million. [182184]

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The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the number of confiscation orders obtained for cases categorised as tax and benefit fraud or VAT fraud based on the original amount of the confiscation order.

Electoral Commission Committee

Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what research the Electoral Commission has commissioned on the reasons for public sector concern over electoral registration fraud. [182367]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it contracted the agency Define Research and Insight to carry out qualitative research with the public into perceptions of electoral fraud. The research was carried out in two phases between January and May 2013, and included a combination of group discussions and individual in-depth interviews undertaken in a range of locations across the UK.

Electorate

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will place in the Library a copy of all (a) correspondence and (b) minutes of meetings in the last three years concerning the use of identity cards for voters. [182368]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it will write to the hon. Member with as much of the information requested as possible and will arrange for copies to be placed in the House Library.

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Communities and Local Government

Community Infrastructure Levy

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been raised in each local authority area and in total through the Community Infrastructure Levy (d106) in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [182575]

Nick Boles: This information is not held centrally. Each Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Authority has to report annually on the amount of levy collected and spent during the financial year and the amount of levy retained at the end of that financial year. The information must be published on their website, and must form part of their annual Local Planning Authority Monitoring Report.

Housing: Construction

Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average time taken is for a large housing scheme to go through a local council's planning system. [177837]

Nick Boles: The Department's statistics on planning applications show the number of local planning authority decisions on major residential developments (10 or more dwellings) by various time periods from receiving the application to making the decision. The latest statistics show in the 12 months to September 2013 54% of major residential decisions were within 13 weeks (the statutory deadline), 71% in 26 weeks and 88% in 52 weeks.

Under this Government, the number of planning applications has risen, the proportion of planning approvals has risen and the number of planning appeals has fallen. 99% of all planning decisions are ‘right first time’: that is they are agreed, rejected and not appealed, or appealed and still rejected. But major decisions are still too slow. Planning delays are unfair to both local residents and planning applicants. Planning is a quasi-judicial process: and justice delayed is justice denied.

The Government have been working with councils to help speed-up decisions on

applications, including:

funding the Planning Advisory Service, which provides advice on service improvements;

reducing unnecessary information required to be submitted with applications;

extending permitted development rights to take minor and uncontroversial applications out of the system, allowing resources to be targeted more effectively;

working with the slowest local authorities to raise their performance, assisted by measures introduced in the Growth and Infrastructure Act.

A number of additional technical measures to improve the end-to-end process of handling applications were announced in the autumn statement on 5 December 2013.

World War I: Anniversaries

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to support communities who wish to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. [182379]

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Stephen Williams: My Department is supporting a wide programme of first world war centenary commemoration projects that will support all communities who wish to commemorate this important period. These include a commemorative paving stone campaign for Victoria Cross recipients, a joint project with the Department for Education to send schoolchildren to the battlefields, and a series of 50 lectures on the commonwealth nations' contribution to the war, being facilitated by the Curzon Institute. Full details can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/first-world-war-centenary

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Berkshire

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish details of all funds allocated by his Department and its associated agencies to (a) Reading Borough Council and (b) West Berkshire Council in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date. [182168]

Dan Rogerson: The figures in the following table show payments by core DEFRA to each council.

The figures in the following table show payments by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to each council.

DEFRA's other four Executive Agencies did not make payments to the two Councils. This does not coyer any payments to the Councils by DEFRA’s non- departmental public bodies or other arm’s length bodies.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department will ensure the independent assessment of the (a) humaneness, (b) safety and (c) effectiveness of the two pilot badger culls during the period of the extension of the pilots. [182591]

George Eustice: A full programme of observations and post-mortems to gather the required evidence to support an assessment of the humaneness of controlled

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shooting was completed, as planned during the six weeks of the pilot culls. It was concluded that continuing observations beyond the required 60 and associated 120 post-mortems would add little to the statistical robustness of the data gathered during the planned six weeks of the humaneness study.

Monitoring was carried out by Natural England to ensure that cull companies complied with the licence conditions and best practice guidance (which include requirements for safe and humane shooting) continued through the extension periods. A post-mortem capability was maintained to support any investigations if necessary.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion of 9 January 2014, on badger culls, if he will make it his policy to extend the remit of the Independent Panel to cover and report on all extensions of badger cull pilots; what the rationale has been to date for limiting the Independent Panel's remit to the first six weeks of the culls; and if he will make a statement. [182739]

George Eustice: During the six-week periods in each cull area, a structured programme of observations and post-mortems was implemented by trained teams to build a robust evidence base that will inform conclusions about the humaneness of controlled shooting. This programme of carrying out the required number of field observations and post-mortem examinations was completed during the six-week period, as planned, and in accordance with the protocols agreed with the Independent Expert Panel in advance of the pilot culls commencing.

Careful consideration was given to whether there was a need to continue this monitoring during the extension periods, and the chair of the independent panel was consulted. It was concluded that continuing observations beyond the required 60 and associated 120 post-mortems would add little to the statistical robustness of the data gathered during the planned six weeks of the humaneness study.

It should be noted that monitoring by Natural England to ensure that cull companies complied with the licence conditions and best practice guidance continued through the extension periods. A post-mortem capability was maintained to support any investigations if necessary.

The panel will also review the efficacy of the pilot culls at the end of the six-week period as planned.

Environment Agency

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff are currently employed in the Environment Agency's offices in (a) York, (b) Leeds, (c) Rotherham and (d) Hull; how many posts will be declared redundant in each office as a result of his decision to reduce the Agency's staff by 1,700 by October 2014; and what the duties are of each of the posts in Yorkshire that are currently being considered for redundancy. [182590]

Dan Rogerson: In December 2013, the Environment Agency had 775 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff based out of these offices.

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The Environmental Agency is likely to reduce staff numbers from the previous forecast of around 11,250 at the end of March 2014 to around 9,700 by October 2014. They do not yet know how and where specific staff numbers will be affected as this is currently being considered and detailed proposals will be announced in due course.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the value was of habitat created by the Environment Agency's Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management work in each year between 2008 and 2013; and what the estimated value is of such habitat planned to be created in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15. [182337]

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency estimates that the cost of habitat created or planned through its flood and coastal erosion risk management work between 2008 and 2015 is:

No estimate of the total value of the habitat created has been made.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much partnership funding will be spent between 2011 and 2015; and what proportion of such funding is not from the public purse. [182338]

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency expects £148 million of contributions to flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes to be realised between 2011-12 to 2014-15, including in-kind contributions. Approximately one quarter of the financial contributions to Environment Agency-led projects in 2013-14 and 2014-15 are being accessed directly from non-public sector partners. Providing an exact overall figure is difficult because we cannot say how much private money comes through sources such as community infrastructure levy.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the cost of restoring coastal defences to their integrity before December 2013. [182344]

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Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency’s assessment of coastal defences affected by the storm surges on the east, west and south coast’s since the beginning of December is still under way. Investigations are being undertaken as soon as it is feasible and safe to do so. I will update the House in due course.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent staff from the biodiversity and waste management teams of the Environment Agency were funded through the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14. [182451]

Dan Rogerson: The number of full-time equivalent staff from the biodiversity teams of the Environment Agency that were funded through the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget over the last four years is shown in the following table.

No staff from the waste management teams of the Environment Agency are funded through the flood and coastal erosion risk management budget.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many non-flood and coastal erosion risk management staff at the Environment Agency have been redeployed for emergency flood response activities in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14. [182452]

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency does not have the figures for the number of non-flood and coastal risk management staff deployed for emergency flood response activities in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

In 2012-13 flooding resulted in around 5,000 members of Environment Agency staff being deployed for emergency flood response activities. Records show that around 800 or 16% of these staff members were from non-flood and coastal erosion risk management teams.

There were no significant flooding incidents in 2013-14 until December of this year. At this time it is not possible to gather the information to show how many non-flood and coastal erosion risk management staff were deployed for emergency flood response activities. This information will be available in March 2014.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management projects were worked on by non-Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management staff; and how many full-time equivalent posts this represented in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14. [182453]

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency does not have the information available to answer this question.

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Flood and coastal erosion risk management project work is funded by the flood and coastal erosion risk management funds.

Food: Procurement

Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with ministerial counterparts on increasing the purchase of British food by public bodies. [182056]

George Eustice: DEFRA Ministers have had a range of conversations with ministerial colleagues in other Departments, in particular the Department of Health and the Department for Education, to discuss the promotion of sourcing local food in the context of sustainable and healthy diets.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to assist the UK farming sector to introduce GM crops. [182240]

Dan Rogerson: The commercial cultivation of GM crops is subject to regulatory approval at EU level. We are arguing for the European Union authorisation regime to operate more effectively, without unjustified delays in reaching decisions. We want fair and predictable market access for GM crops which pass the required safety assessment, so that our farmers can choose whether or not to grow them. Before GM crops are planted commercially in England, DEFRA will assist the farm sector by ensuring that pragmatic segregation measures are in place which enables GM and non-GM crop production to co-exist.

Insects

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish an individual response to each submission to his Department’s final consultation on the National Pollinator Strategy. [182180]

Dan Rogerson: Our intention is to publish a summary of responses. The summary will include an analysis of issues raised by respondents and will be published on:

www.gov.uk

Internal Drainage Boards

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial assistance he plans to make available to drainage boards whose assets were damaged following the recent tidal surge and overtopping of defences maintained by the Environment Agency. [182518]

Dan Rogerson: Assessment of the damage to internal drainage board assets following the recent tidal surge is still under way. We will await the outcome of the assessment before considering the financial implications.

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Scottish Wildcat

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) the Countryside Alliance, (b) the British Association of Shooting and Conservation and (c) the Scottish Landowners Association on potential reintroduction programmes for the Scottish wildcat. [182239]

George Eustice: We have had no discussions with these organisations about potential reintroduction programmes for the Scottish wildcat and have no plans for any introduction in England. As wildlife conservation is a devolved issue any releases of Scottish wildcats in Scotland would be a matter for the Scottish Government to consider.

Secondment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individuals employed by (a) major UK utility companies, (b) Energy UK and (c) any related energy utility organisation were seconded to his Department in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013. [182544]

Dan Rogerson: During the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013, five employees from UK utility organisations were seconded into core DEFRA. The breakdown is shown in the following table:

Staff

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken to improve morale among his Department’s staff. [181679]

Dan Rogerson: The staff engagement index, measured through DEFRA’s annual People Survey, is an indicator of staff morale. Results from the 2013 survey, due to be published at end of January, show an increased overall engagement score.

A wide range of actions have been undertaken to improve engagement over the last year, which we continue to build on. These include a better articulation of DEFRA’s overall offer to its staff; increased opportunities for staff to engage directly with senior leadership and provide their feedback; increased provision and take up of the learning and development opportunities available and a refreshed focus on giving all our staff equality of opportunity to progress and achieve their potential on merit.

We will continue to monitor engagement levels throughout the year and maintain our focus on improving these.

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Water Charges

Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will make an estimate of the proportion of households still paying for water by rateable value. [182324]

Dan Rogerson: Currently 59% of households in England pay for water by rateable value.

Water Voles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to maintain water vole numbers and protect their habitat. [182237]

George Eustice: Water voles and their habitat receive full protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and have been identified as one of the species of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity in England.

This protection ensures that the welfare of water voles and their habitat is taken into consideration in planning and development (they are highlighted under planning policy guidance). Water voles and their habitats are also taken into consideration in agri-environment schemes such as Higher Level Stewardship where suitable habitat is protected, enhanced or created for their benefit through appropriate land management.

Natural England, the Environment Agency, The Wildlife Trusts, People's Trust for Endangered Species, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are all members of the UK Water Vole Steering Group. This group supports and co-ordinates water vole initiatives across the UK, including the Water Vole Database and Mapping Project, which aims to manage and store water vole data, collate data on American mink, enable mapping of this data arid ensure effective use of the datasets for the benefit of water vole populations.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what scientific research his Department (a) holds or (b) has commissioned on the potential effects on marine life of (i) offshore wind farms and (ii) construction of the Westermost Rough Offshore Wind Farm; and if he will publish the conclusions of that research. [182044]

George Eustice: DEFRA has funded a number of research projects on the potential effects of offshore wind farms on marine life, including:

A marine renewables research programme, looking at the potential impacts of wind farms and other renewable energy installations on the marine environment, including seabed, marine mammals and seabirds. The five-year programme, commissioned in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council, will report in late 2014.

An expert report commissioned by the Habitats and Wild Birds Directive—Marine Evidence Group entitled ‘An analysis of potential broad-scale impacts on harbour porpoise from proposed pile driving activities in the North Sea’. The report will be published in early 2014.

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A report on measures that could be taken to mitigate or compensate the impacts of offshore wind farms on birds. The work, completed by MacArthur Green Ltd, will be published in early 2014.

A strategic review of offshore wind farm monitoring data associated with license conditions, completed by CEFAS in 2010.

Once completed, the reports of all DEFRA-funded research are publically available at DEFRA's Research and Development website:

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/

DEFRA have not commissioned and do not hold any research specific to the construction of the Westermost Rough Wind Farm Development.

House of Commons Commission

Occupational Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what funding was allocated to the well-being budget for staff of the House in each year for which data are available. [182377]

John Thurso: There is no specific well-being budget for staff of the House: support for well-being is in the form of the staff welfare service and medical services. The annual cost of the welfare function for House of Commons staff is £65,000 representing the salary costs of the welfare officers. The annual cost to the House of the medical services is £199,800. This cost includes the annual contract with St Thomas’ hospital to provide occupational health services, plus the salaries of the nurses who are employed by the House. These services are used by both Members and staff and it is not possible to disaggregate costs between these two groups.

Justice

Court of Protection

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to provide safeguards against a person appointed as a deputy by the Court of Protection failing to use compensation awarded for the purposes for which it was intended; and if he will make a statement. [180917]

Simon Hughes: The Court of Protection (CoP) has the power to make decisions and appoint deputies to make decisions about someone's property and financial affairs or their health care and personal welfare. It is standard practice for the Court to order a deputy appointed to make decisions about property and financial affairs to take out a security bond (insurance) as a safeguard against misuse of funds. Where the case involves a large award of compensation, it is also usual for the Court to impose restrictions on the powers given to the deputy.

Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has a responsibility to supervise deputies appointed by the Court of Protection. Supervision is proportionate and involves allocating cases to different ‘tiers' of supervision based on a risks-based approach. All deputies are required to lodge annual reports with the Office of the Public Guardian stating what decisions they have made on behalf of the person lacking capacity and provide details of how the monies under their control have been spent. The OPG

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carries out regular reporting and spot-checks and investigates further if anything of concern is identified. If there is evidence of abuse, it makes an application to the Court of Protection to suspend the deputy's powers, or reports to the police if it suspects that a crime has been committed.

The OPG is carrying out a comprehensive review of its supervision model. The implementation of a new operating model, together with new digital channels of communication from 2014, will assist the OPG to exercise appropriate oversight of deputies' decision-making function. A public consultation which included proposals for the supervision function closed on 26 November.

Courts: Interpreters

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints have been received about the court interpreter contract in each month of its operation. [178808]

Mr Vara: Please find following the link to the online published statistics on the use of Language Services in Courts and Tribunals. This includes data on complaints:

Statistics

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-use-of-language-services-in-courts-and-tribunals

The volume of complaints for court interpreters has decreased since the start of the MOJ contract.

Divorce

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will commission a review of the effects of the provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on referrals to mediation services for divorcing couples. [181710]

Mr Vara: The Government will be undertaking a post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) in three to five years’ time. This will include a review of the impact of the reforms, including on the provision of mediation services.

I also refer to my previous answer of 18 December in which I advised the hon. Member that monthly data are collated by the Legal Aid Agency on the number of mediation cases which receive public funding for the Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) and for mediation starts. The Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency continue to monitor the position in relation to referrals to MIAMs and on mediation starts to ensure there is no risk that the general public is unable to access services. We are also undertaking a range of activities to raise awareness of family mediation and the fact that it is still in scope for public funding, for those that qualify, and to help mediation services promote themselves.

Domestic Violence

Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many non-molestation orders were issued in respect of domestic abuse in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available; [181626]

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(2) how many non-molestation orders in respect of domestic abuse were breached in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available. [181627]

Damian Green: Data collected by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, and published in Court Statistics Quarterly, show the volume of all non-molestation orders made in England and Wales. In the year 2012 (the latest complete year for which figures are available) a total of 19,405 such orders were made. In the same year, 2,650 defendants were found guilty in all courts in England and Wales of breach of a non-molestation order.

Domestic violence and abuse is a dreadful crime and it is not acceptable within our society. The Government are committed to ensuring that the police and other agencies have the tools necessary to tackle it, to bring offenders to justice and to ensure victims have the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will support the implementation of Eve's Law in respect of the protection of victims of domestic violence. [181812]

Damian Green: It is vital that our courts system protects victims of crime. Eve Thomas met my officials recently. We are considering the important points she has made, and we will look at whether and in what circumstances protection might be extended.

It is already open to a judge in a civil court, on application of a party, to make an order to ensure that certain personal information, such as an address, remains

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confidential during proceedings. This is a matter for the discretion of the judge, taking into account the circumstances in each individual case.

Any party in Family Proceedings who does not wish for their contact details (or that of any child) to be made known to anyone may file a Form C8. The details can then be disclosed only by an order of court.

Elections: Fraud

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the ethnic background was of those (a) alleged to have committed, (b) charged with and (c) convicted of electoral fraud offences relating to (i) voting, (ii) registration and (iii) nomination in each of the last three years. [178804]

Damian Green: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of offences of personation under s60 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, in England and Wales, by ethnic appearance, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in the tables. The ethnic appearance classification is used by the police when they visually identify someone as belonging to an ethnic group. Data on charges are not held by the Ministry of Justice.

Data for all other offences under the various Representation of the People Acts which specifically refer to offences relating to voting, registration and nomination cannot be separately identified on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be separately analysed.

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Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) male and (b) female victims of trafficking for labour exploitation accessed Government-supported services provided through the Salvation Army in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012; and if she will make a statement. [181066]

Damian Green: The Salvation Army has run the Government contract to provide assistance and support to potential adult victims of human trafficking since 1 July 2011.

Between then and 31 December 2012, 270 males and 62 females referred to the Salvation Army had been identified as potential victims of labour exploitation.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the nationality and gender was of each

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suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in December 2013; in which

(a)

region,

(b)

county,

(c)

metropolitan district,

(d)

district council area,

(e)

city and

(f)

parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to the Scheme; and in which town was the shelter to which they were placed for the statutory period. [182089]

Damian Green: In December 2013 there were 113 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. In the interests of victim safety only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided. Details are provided in the following table.

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